Singing/Las Mañanitas

Because today is your birthday we're singing for you
Wake up, my dear, wake up, look it is already dawn
The birds are joyfully singing and the moon has set

On the day you were born
All the flowers were born

How lovely is the morning in which I come to greet you
We all come with joy and pleasure to congratulate you*

*English translation of Spanish song

There is a tradition in the Latino Community of celebrating a birthday beginning with a song at sunrise outside the bedroom window of the honoree. The "Singing/Las Mañanitas" mural is a celebration, a welcoming for the residents at Brays Crossing on the beginning of a new home.

Garden/Jardin
Our ancient ancestors in the Americas taught us how to grow plants not only for balanced nutrition but also with respect towards the earth.

Corn, beans, squash, called the "Three Sisters", native to Mesoamerica create a nutritious food combination and when grown together provide sustainable agriculture. The corn grows fast and tall giving a support structure for the beans that fix nitrogen, fertilizing the soil. The soil is kept moist in the shade of the large leaves of the low and wide growing squash plant. Sunflowers, native to North America, and papaya, native to the Caribbean provided a rich source of quick nutrition.

The "Garden/Jardin" mural honors our farming ancestors and thanks those among us who share the fruits of their labor.

Paper Cutout/Papel Picado
The tissue paper cutouts we see in Mexican restaurants and in plazas have a long history going back to ancient Mexico and the Orient. Paper made of the bark from mulberry trees in Eastern Mexico was painted, cut and used for many purposes including codex books, banners, maps, regalia, correspondence and ceremonial offerings.

During the Spanish colonial period in Mexico trade ships brought back colored tissue paper from the Philippines. The brightly colored tissue paper was quickly adopted and used in home and community celebrations.

The inspiration for the "Paper Cutout/Papel picado" mural came from the tissue paper cutouts hanging high up near the ceiling, instantly creating a party atmosphere.

Dance/Baile
Dance is a universally recognized as a form of expression for the wide range of emotions, rituals, and stories that human beings experience.

The mural "Dance/Baile" is about joy in the dances that have roots in the folkloric dances of Mexico and the Southwestern United States.